Scuba Dive Now No More Excuses

scuba-dive

Become A Scuba Diver

Many people think about learning to scuba dive but never get certified. There can be many reasons, often it is a believe in a false common myth, or not having an understanding about diving. Learning to scuba dive is an investment in your future. Once you are certified you are a scuba diver for life. Granted if you do not dive for a year or more, most dive operators will make you take a refresher course or a check out dive. But these are basically a dive under supervision.  While most people associate scuba dives with tropical warm waters, diving is a sport that can be enjoyed just about anywhere.  You just need to use the proper equipment for the conditions.  As a group, scuba divers have a better understanding of the environment.

Who Are Divers

Years ago they were the male  thrill seekers, now they can be anyone. Scuba diving is still a male dominated sport, but not by that wide of a margin. 67% of divers are male. Since diving is a safe sport, many families have taken it up as the youngest age you can be certified has been lowered a few time to where divers as young as 10 can be certified for limited diving. Another thing that has change is the commitment. If you are not sure if scuba diving is right for you, you can do a resort course. A resort course is a training session with a dive instructor that covers some of the basic knowledge that a scuba diver needs and a practice session of basic skills before going on a shallow dive with an instructor. This will give you the full experience. The dives are shallow, generally five to ten meters, however that is a depth that most dives occur at anyway.

Myths

The famous television program myth busters often have episodes about scuba diving. There are so many myths about scuba diving, so many stories stuck in the past that many people who would enjoy it, do not even consider it. Or just as bad, parents or family members pressure you to not even consider it. While the mythbusters television show has proven you wont get sucked up by a firefighting airplane while diving, there are other common misunderstandings that may keep you from enjoying the sport. If you search on the internet for scuba diving myths you will find many websites with top 5 or top 10 lists. Many of them are about the same and I do not want to repeat but I going to list a few one line myths:

  • Sharks will attack divers. Surfers are more likely to be attacked then divers, in murky water they look like seals, a favorite snack for sharks. You are more likely to be struck by lighting than bit by a shark, and you are 10 times more likely to recover from a shark attack than lighting strike.
  • It the most dangerous sport. There is a serious potential for danger, that is why training is mandatory. The result is one of the safest sports. Injury rate in scuba diving is 50 in 100,000. So if your golf playing dad says it is too dangerous point out that insurance stats puts the injury rate for golf at 140 in 100,000.
  • Certification is expensive. Granted it is not cheap but it is a lifetime skill. Open water training can run between $250 and $500.
  • I have to buy all my gear. When you start most students only buy the mask, snorkel and fins. Which can also be used for snorkeling.
  • It takes too long to learn. Believe it or not, the internet has helped change that. Now you can do the theory work at home using online training tools. Then complete the written test and the open water portion in a weekend

Start Training

As mentioned, learning to scuba dive is a lifetime event, if you are not sure yet, then try a resort course and you will then be sure.